SMEs in life sciences face common challenges. To help address these, HIRANI has partnered with Biotechgate through the Innovate UK Life and Health Sciences Launchpad programme.
Northern Ireland’s life and health sciences sector continues to grow at pace. The last five years has seen the numbers of spinouts rise, new digital health and MedTech start-ups form, and strong progress made in key areas, including therapeutics and precision medicine. With this, comes a need for high quality data and mapping. Innovators need to understand where they sit within the wider ecosystem, and how to identify potential partners.
The Innovate UK Life and Health Sciences Launchpad is designed to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems by providing targeted funding, business support, and cluster development. This partnership provides Northern Ireland with access to the database, that is integrated in the HIRANI website as a tool for cluster development.
It can help with:
1. Market Intelligence
Early-stage innovators often need to understand what solutions already exist and where unmet needs lie. Biotechgate enables companies to:
• compare their product pipeline with global competitors
• review the development stage of similar technologies
• identify trends in therapeutic areas, device classes, or clinical validation routes
These insights help SMEs refine their value proposition, strengthen grant applications, and prepare more convincing investor pitches.
2. Investor Discovery and Engagement
Accessing aligned investors remains a challenge for NI companies. Biotechgate’s investor database allows companies to:
• identify investors with experience in their specific sub-sector
• understand portfolio patterns and investment stages
• review past deals to anticipate expectations
This supports stronger investor readiness and improves the visibility of NI companies to national and international capital.
3. Partnership and Collaboration Mapping
Successful commercialisation depends on assembling the right partners across regulatory, manufacturing, clinical testing, reimbursement, and market access. Biotechgate helps companies discover:
• CROs and CDMOs
• research laboratories
• quality and regulatory consultants
• distributors and strategic partners
• international companies open to licensing or co-development
This is particularly valuable for SMEs that may not have long-established networks.
4. Raising the Visibility of NI Globally
Biotechgate acts as a cluster showcase. Local SMEs can add or update their profiles directly, ensuring accurate representation of their products, clinical progress, and partnership interests. The more complete the NI entries, the stronger the region appears to potential investors, inward investment teams, and multinational partners.
How Companies Can Add or Update Their Biotechgate Profile
A key benefit of Biotechgate is that companies can control their own listing. The process is simple:
- Search for your company in Biotechgate. Many profiles already exist.
- If a profile exists, request editing rights.
- If not, create a new company entry with:
• product and pipeline descriptions
• TRL maturity
• regulatory milestones
• leadership information
• partnership interests - Update the profile regularly to reflect progress, funding rounds, collaborations, or new developments.
This keeps the Northern Ireland cluster map current and enhances visibility for the entire region.
A Strategic Tool for NI’s Next Phase of Growth
As Northern Ireland continues to position itself as a leading life and health sciences hub, the ability to map, measure, and communicate cluster strengths becomes increasingly important. HIRANI will continue to promote Biotechgate as a shared resource for the sector and encourages all SMEs, spinouts, and industry partners to update their profiles and explore the insights the platform provides.
By building a clearer picture of who we are, what we can offer, and where the opportunities lie, Northern Ireland can accelerate innovation, attract investment, and deliver greater impact for health and the economy.
